Odd injuries at events

[groomporter]

We were participating in an English Civil War event a few years back including a battle reenactment with a "Push of pike" based on the way the Sealed Knot Society does them in England. (That's us in the grey coats below, it kind of ends up a bit like a rugby scrum) One of my good friends was wearing a breast plate and ended up with line of small circular bruises down his chest from the ball-shaped buttons on his grey coat being pressed in to him by the front of the breast plate. 



Anyone have similar stories of odd injuries?

[Angelhood]

This one is not quite the same but "fairely" close. We were camped outside of Larkspur for the CORF, one year and the people across from us were fest goers as well. They were having some difficulty with their tent and they needed to cut some cord to use for the tent stakes. They didn't have anything but a dagger, this fellow apparently forgot all his mother's admonitions when he was small to always cut away from yourself. He managed to slice up his upper/inner thigh real good!

We had massive first aid kits with us, at least four of our party were med-certified, and one was a firefighter at the time. So we had him pretty well patched up and recommended strongly that he go to the ER. I'm not entirely sure he did though.

I'm sure he had fun explaining that injury and location to co-workers and friends when he got home.

[captmarga]

My hubby seems to hold the dubious honor of being the only major injury to happen in Rat-Pucking.  Three seasons ago, he broke his arm evading a flying rat.  He turned away, tripped over a tree root and FOOSHed (Fell on out stretched Hand).  Both bones, splintering break.  Had to have surgery and now has 2 plates and 12 screws.  He only missed one weekend of pucking though!  Had to invent a new throw, the "Singapore sling" so that he could puck one-handed!!!

Capt. Marga

[Adriana Rose]

My strangest fair injury was when I was trying to get into a corset that I had not worn since before having a baby and the laces were not working with my mom and the busk was not working with me.. I got the busk hooked and a bit of skin was hooked with it.. Mom got the laces to work at the same time... OWIE! I now have a scar on my tummy just under my belly button from yanking my skin out of the hooked busk...


But other than that I cant make it through a season without skinning a knee or getting wicked splinters

[Lady Nicolette]

Not exactly at an event, but it did coin a ren-inspired word.  Very early one morning, while it was still dark out and my then-husband was sleeping, I'd left the lights out and was trying to get a bra out of the top drawer of my lingerie chest, which is about eye level.  The bra was caught somewhere in the drawer and as I pulled at it, it finally came loose, snapped back and hit me right in the eye, full force with the hooks.  It hit me hard enough that it gave me a black eye.

Just looked it up, the word indeed is in our lexicon.  It's trebrachet.
For those who haven't see the lexicon, here's the link:
http://www.renaissancefestival.com/forums/index.php?topic=277.0

[Celtic_Fae]

My hubby seems to hold the dubious honor of being the only major injury to happen in Rat-Pucking.  Three seasons ago, he broke his arm evading a flying rat.  He turned away, tripped over a tree root and FOOSHed (Fell on out stretched Hand).  Both bones, splintering break.  Had to have surgery and now has 2 plates and 12 screws.  He only missed one weekend of pucking though!  Had to invent a new throw, the "Singapore sling" so that he could puck one-handed!!!

Capt. Marga

Not as bad as yours, but our legendary "Kilt Boy" of BARF was up a tree retreiving a rat (wearing his kilt properly) and skinned his inner thighs and *upwards* slipping down the tree. 

[Elennare]

Do injuries from preparing for an event count?  If so, I have one.

My husband (then boyfriend) and I were in a stage combat troupe in college.  At one of our practices we were sparing with rubber knives, both to practice technique and to get a better idea of what it feels like to actually try to hit someone so we could better act it later.  He parried one of my attacks in such a way that I ended up with a hand-shaped bruise on the inside of my upper arm.  It lasted for about a week.  That was a fun one to explain to people...

[BLAKDUKE]

Whilst at the Gulf Coast faire (Pensacola version) in March, the Queen and I were making our way to the front gate.  she was to my right and as we passed the petting zoo/donkey ride, they had these interlocking fence gates that I am sure you all have seen.  One of them was placed in an awkward fashion as the feet were sticking out in the aisle way and the Queen not watching where she was walking tripped over it and did a 8.0, 7.9, 8.1 half-gainer with a twist onto the concrete.  She threw out her shoulder and we believe tore her rotator cuff in the process.  to this day she still has pain from it and cannot use her right arm properly.  We wanted to get an MRI but her insurance would not pay for it.  They wanted to have her do physical therapy.  That's right, P.T. for something that they did not know what was wrong.  That's our health care system at work protecting your dollars.

[Noble Dreg]

Years ago (I believe it was '84) at the Minnesota Renaissance festival there was this girl who used to dress as a swordsman one week and a beautiful gypsy the next.  Alexia was her name.  Long ravishing red hair, firm and trim, she was a goddess.  We hung out most every weekend that year.  All the signals were right, we were destined for each other.  We agreed to meet by the old chess board every weekend.  The last weekend of 'fest I asked her for her number so we could continue our "fun".  That's when she told me she was engaged...yep, she broke my heart.

[GirlChris]

Oooh, I have a good one.

I normally carry my mug on my head, as it is very large and heavy, even when empty. However, this means I can't look down. I was walking along with said mug on my head, when a child came up to talk to me. I took the mug from my head and put it on the ground- as I said, it's heavy. This was the far-too-young cynic type of child- "What's your name? What's your REAL name? Do you know what a car is? You're so stupid" et cetera and so forth.

Finally, I managed to convince the child that I wanted to continue on my merry way. I went to grab my mug, but she snatched it first. "I want to put it on your head!"

THUNK! Very heavy mug smacked on top of my noggin. My head was swollen from more than ego that day. Bleah.

[Raibeart OShea]

Here's one that I'm sure is common, but not yet mentioned...

Ever had a Yellow Jacket Beer?  Well, acutally it was a Carolina Blonde with a 'hitchhiker'.  It stung me on the tongue as I was beginning to raise my cup.  Hurt like the Dickens!  I'm not allergic or anything, but I did ask my wife and friends to keep an eye out for the guys with the yellow flags in case I passed out or started foaming at the mouth.  I always eye my beer now before taking a draught.

[Amras Elfwine]

Three different incidents at MDRF immediately come to mind (you know whats coming), two from this past season, and a third from a past season.

1. This year, we did have a child take a "chicken-on-a-lance" stick through an eye. He had been running around with it. Unfortunatly, the kid did lose the eye.

2. Also this year, in one that got national attention, a girl picked up a wild snake down in the "bottom" section of the faire, threatening her boyfriend with it...the snake bit them both...both were transported to the hospital for care...the snake recovered.

3. And, in a past season, the Aerial Angels set a patrons bald head on fire...this story got lots of attention at the time, so I will not bore anyone with details again. Fire acts have been banned at MDRF ever since.

Cheers!

[Malkavian]

2. Also this year, in one that got national attention, a girl picked up a wild snake down in the "bottom" section of the faire, threatening her boyfriend with it...the snake bit them both...both were transported to the hospital for care...the snake recovered.

Wow, not venomous I hope. 

If anyone at CRF was going to suffer a snakebite, it would probably be me (either by way of moving it out of the way or getting a photo op) 

[Cloverpogue]

Bullwhip across my chest. Yes, my first year at faire.

We were coming up from the backstage area up the walk where the patrons were passing. One of my fellow cast members was excellent with a whip and we had some time so I volunteered. I guess I wanted to be the pretty assistant that holds objects up for him to strike out of my hand, etc., but never near my mouth.
  So, I held up a fest program far enough out, or so we thought. I didn't flinch when the whip came at me. The whip snapped the paper perfectly out of my hand, but managed to strike across the top of my chest, barely missing the girls. I had a nice big red mark where it got me. It stung, but I smiled.
Every time after that when he saw me that weekend, he'd ask if I was okay. I was fine, but I would joke about when I would get a turn to strike something out of his hand. *haha*

[RumbaRue]

I have no idea how I get so many bruises after an event!

I come home looking like I got beaten or something!

Course running into things with my scooter (oh look at that - while crashing into the stand of swords at the Escondido faire) doesn't help.....

[lilaney]

Last year, I was doing staged combat, and she missed me like she was suppose to.
But, I was suppose to 'sell' the TKO with my landing; and I could tell as soon as I turned to fall that I was going to take it wrong.
I 'bounced' my head off the ground. But, the fall was beautiful according to spectators. There was a bruise near my temple that made wearing my gabled hood sting just a bit.
And, like all good fables, I learned a very important lesson on feet placement.

Oh, and the year before a really big guy used my feet instead of the ground to dance on and I hobbled around for a few days. But, thanks to physicality I worked right into the bit.

[Aiacha]

Three different incidents at MDRF immediately come to mind (you know whats coming), two from this past season, and a third from a past season.

1. This year, we did have a child take a "chicken-on-a-lance" stick through an eye. He had been running around with it. Unfortunatly, the kid did lose the eye.

DS and I were there that weekend, and were hearing about this on the news the next morning as we were getting ready to fly home.  If I remember correctly, that was a (medically) bad weekend.

Never injured myself at faire, beyond scratches and the occasional fire ant bite, but I caused an injury in a related field.  Back in high school I was on the fencing team, and I was working footwork with someone.  Going back and forth with two fingers held out like a foil...(you can see where this is going)...we both lunged and my two fingers went into their eye!  No damage done, but I felt horrible about it.